Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed the Indian team for their ‘bizarre’ decision to drop Sanju Samson for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the second T20I against England on Saturday (July 4). Manjrekar said it was ‘great’ to see the 15-year-old play for the national team, but added that he was hoping Samson was injured because the move doesn’t make any sense otherwise.
Samson was almost certainly not injured. Shreyas Iyer was asked whether dropping the Kerala star, the Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup, was a sign of how fierce the competition for spots in the team was, and he agreed. Sooryavanshi replaced him directly and, just like other batters, didn’t look completely at ease on the bouncy track of Old Trafford, and got
out for 14 (10).
“Great to see Vaibhav in India colours,” Manjrekar said on X. “But what about Samson! Dropped?? Are you kidding me! No, I guess, injured. Let’s hope it’s [an] injury. Or it’s the most bizarre selection. Could have easily batted at 3 if you wanted to get Vaibhav in,” he added.
Fitting Samson at number three — where he has batted a lot in the IPL, including when Sooryavanshi broke through at Rajasthan Royals in 2025 — would have meant dropping a middle-order batter. That presents a different issue because, just like Samson, Ishan Kishan would feel hard done by the call.
The other option would have been letting go of Tilak Varma, whose form has been patchy all year. But the team has made it more difficult for themselves by giving him the vice-captaincy and has also seemed to be more accommodating for him because he can play as a finisher.
